NEW YORK, Dec. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IgnitionOne, a global marketing technology and data analytics provider with a focus on the automotive sector, released its Q3 Automotive Report, highlighting year-on-year (YoY) trends, and the continued growth of the automotive market.

In Q3 2018, site engagement grew by 17% globally, with engagement in North America increasing by 46% from last year. While overall site visits remained flat from 2017, higher average engagement in North America indicates that these existing customers are potentially moving further along the purchase funnel. Site visits in LATAM increased by 48% and Europe showed a 6% increase.

Despite a 6% drop in Q3 2018 global leads compared to Q3 2017 which was primarily influenced by a 19% decline in North America, leads on mobile devices continued to grow YoY. Mobile site leads grew 18% globally from last year with notable growth in EMEA and LATAM. According to a Facebook study, 58% of auto shoppers agree that their smartphone is likely to be the only device they use for vehicle research in the near future, indicating that mobile will remain a crucial part of the customer journey.

“This report highlights the changes that automotive marketers and dealers should be aware of moving into 2019. With a positive uptick in the economy, we’re seeing more customers who are looking to purchase vehicles,” said Will Margiloff, CEO and Founder of IgnitionOne. “This represents a critical time for dealers who want to create hyper-personalized experiences for the customers that are visiting their sites. The automotive buying journey is a long process, with over 24 different touchpoints and 19 being digital. Personalizing and understanding where a customer is in their journey is key to drive ROI and increase revenue.”

SUVs also continue to dominate site traffic, accounting for about 38% of NA site visits and 43% in EMEA visits, and SUV leads constitute about 45% of total leads in North America and Europe. SUVs are expected to continue to be the leading segment in generating interest and sales, and are likely to dominate consumer preference in 2019, especially due to the emergence of more fuel-efficient options.

In addition, in this latest report IgnitionOne compared the volume of visitors to the average engagement in each segment to gauge where consumers’ preferences lie. For example, while small pickup trucks generate a smaller percentage of site visits, the segment receives significant interest from consumers, more so than any other category of vehicle. Large and midsize vehicles reported the lowest engagement relative to the share of visitors they attract.

Methodology

Based on first-party data gathered from more than 350 automotive manufacturers and dealer websites across more than 50 countries, the Automotive Industry Report looks at global car trends including website visits, visitor engagement, and cumulative leads. The proprietary IgnitionOne Score™ models and defines, in real-time, each site visitor’s propensity to convert, based on the individual’s level of engagement and on-site behavior.

For more information and to download the full report, visit here.

About IgnitionOne

IgnitionOne’s leading Customer Intelligence Platform empowers marketers to find and engage their most valuable customers across channels using a data-driven approach. By focusing on cross-channel scoring and robust personalization, IgnitionOne’s technology provides real-time, actionable insights for smarter marketing decisions and omnichannel engagement to maximize overall results. IgnitionOne is one of the largest independent marketing technology companies in the world, currently scoring over 600 million users monthly in 75 countries and powering more than $60 billion in revenue each year for leading brands, including General Motors, CenturyLink, La Quinta and Acer, as well as advertising agencies such as 360i, GroupM and Zenith Media.

For more information, please visit http://www.ignitionone.com or follow the company on Twitter @ignitionone.